Lug assemblies and related electrical apparatus and methods

ABSTRACT

Lug assemblies include a housing with at least one internal printed circuit board with electronics and lugs. The lugs attach to cables providing power/current. The printed circuit board includes at least one electrical ground connector and at least one electrical contact connector. The lug assemblies include terminals that indirectly electrically couple the cables to terminals of switching devices such as circuit breakers.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to lug assemblies for electricaldistribution apparatus with switching devices such as meter stacksand/or distribution load centers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electrical meter stacks and load centers are well known and includeelectrical busses comprising conductors permitting electrical current tobe carried. Electrical busses may contain features permitting attachmentof fuses, relays, switches, wires, breakers, and other electricalelements.

Lug assemblies allowing cables to be indirectly connected to terminalsof circuit breakers to accommodate larger diameter cables withoutrequiring pin connectors are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,299,523, thecontent of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if recited infull herein.

SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide lug assemblies with ahousing comprising at least one printed circuit board with electronicsfor providing desired functionality for different uses such as tenantside metering, alarms, current conduction status monitoring, safetylight indicators and the like.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a lug assembly for aswitching device of an electrical distribution apparatus. The lugassembly includes: a housing having an interior compartment and an outerwall, the outer wall comprising at least one cable channel; at least onelug held in the interior compartment of the housing adapted to attach toa power cable, the lug having an open channel aligned with the cablechannel in the outer wall of the housing; a printed circuit board heldin the housing; at least one ground connector coupled to the printedcircuit board; and at least one contact connector coupled to the printedcircuit board, spaced apart from the at least one electrical ground.

The at least one lug can be a plurality of spaced apart lugs withaxially extending centerlines aligned with a fastener that extendstherein and that can reside a distance between 1-2 inches from a primarysurface of the printed circuit board.

A top edge of the printed circuit board can be coupled to an innersurface of the cover. The printed circuit board can be orthogonal to aprimary body of the cover.

The lug assembly can have at least one terminal that extends out of thehousing in an outer wall of the housing spaced apart from the outer wallcomprising the cable channels. The at least one ground connector caninclude a ground connector that extends a distance laterally outside aperimeter of the printed circuit board. The at least one contactconnector can extend a distance outside a perimeter of the printedcircuit board.

The at least one ground connector can be curvilinear and can have a freeend that can flex inwardly. The at least one ground connector can extenda distance outside an outer wall of the housing.

The at least one lug can include first and second lugs. The printedcircuit board can have a perimeter having a width dimension and a heightdimension. The perimeter can include opposing sides across the widthdimension with one side being shorter and the other side being longerthan the other in the height dimension. The at least one groundconnector can be or includes a curvilinear ground connector that extendslaterally outward from an outer facing end portion of the longer side.The at least one contact connector can include a first contact connectorand a second contact connector that are curvilinear and spaced apartfrom the ground connector. The first contact connector can extendoutward from an inner facing end portion of the longer side of theprinted circuit board to couple to a terminal of the first lug. Thesecond contact connector can extend off an inner facing end portion ofthe shorter side of the printed circuit board to couple to the secondlug.

The at least one lug can include first and second lugs. The at least onecontact connector can include first and second contact connectors. Thefirst lug can be coupled to the first contact connector and the secondlug can be coupled to the second contact connector.

The lug assembly can also include at least one fastener that isorthogonal to the primary body of the cover and that can extend into areceiving member in the housing. The printed circuit board can includeelectrical components that reside off a first primary surface of theprinted circuit board and that reside in contoured cavities of thehousing. The cover can have cylindrical cavities that receive circularfasteners attached to a top of the lugs. The cover, when assembled, canapply an inwardly extending force against the printed circuit board tothereby provide positive engagement contacts with ground and currentcarrying members at installation.

The cover can have a primary body with an inner surface that secures atop edge of the printed circuit board. The printed circuit board can bea first printed circuit board with a perimeter shape and with a circuitwith electronic components. The circuit can be adapted to monitorcurrent from a power source delivered from at least one power cable tothe switching device. The lug assembly can be configured to serially andinterchangeable accept a second printed circuit board with a differentcircuit and the same perimeter shape to thereby allow a lug assembly toprovide changeable and different monitoring and alert functionality.

The printed circuit board can have a circuit with one or more inductor,capacitor, resistor, transceiver, digital signal processor, or onboardbattery.

The printed circuit board can have a circuit that couples to the atleast one contact and may monitor power usage at the switching deviceand/or transmit signals associated with power usage measurements and/orpower outage alarms to remote devices.

The printed circuit board can have a conduction monitoring circuit withat least one light emitting diode (LED) that is visually accessiblethrough the cover. The LED can illuminate when there is conduction tothe switching device.

The printed circuit board can have a circuit with a transceiver thatwirelessly communicates with one or more local or remote devices.

The printed circuit board can have a circuit that is coupled to the atleast one lug though the at least one contact connector to monitortenant side power usage in a meter stack.

Other embodiments are directed to an electrical distribution apparatus.The apparatus includes an enclosure and a lug assembly in the enclosure.The lug assembly can include: a housing having an interior compartmentand an outer wall, the outer wall comprising at least one cable channel;at least one lug held in the interior compartment of the housing; aprinted circuit board held in the housing; at least one ground connectorattached to the printed circuit board and electrically coupled to theenclosure; at least one contact connector attached to the printedcircuit board and coupled to the at least one lug; and at least oneterminal coupled to the at least one lug and extending out of thehousing. The apparatus can also include at least one power cableattached to a corresponding one lug of the at least one lug in thehousing of the lug assembly and a switching device coupled to the atleast one terminal extending out of the housing of the lug assembly. Theat least one terminal of the lug assembly provides an electrical pathfor current from the power cable to the electrical switching device.

The apparatus can also include first and second lugs as the at least onelug, first and second contact connectors as the at least one contactconnector, and first and second power cables as the at least one powercable. The first power cable can couple to the first lug and the secondpower cable can couple to the second lug. The first contact connectorcan couple to the first lug and the second contact connector can coupleto the second lug.

The at least one terminal of the lug assembly can include or be firstand second terminals. The switching device can have a circuit breakerand first and second circuit breaker lugs each having an open throughchannel that couple to the first and second lugs of the lug assembly toprovide electrical current pathways. The at least one lug of the lugassembly can include first and second spaced apart lugs with axiallyextending centerlines aligned with a fastener that extends therein thatcan reside a distance between 1-2 inches from a primary surface of theprinted circuit board.

The printed circuit board can be orthogonal to a primary body of thecover.

The at least one ground connector can include a ground connector that iscurvilinear and can extend a distance laterally outside a perimeter ofthe printed circuit board and outside a wall of the housing. The atleast one contact connector can be curvilinear and can extend a distanceoutside a perimeter of the printed circuit board.

The printed circuit board can be a first printed circuit board with aperimeter shape and comprising a circuit with electronic components. Thecircuit can be adapted to monitor current from a power source deliveredfrom at least one power cable to the switching device. The lug assemblycan be configured to serially and interchangeable accept a secondprinted circuit board with a different circuit and the same perimetershape to thereby allow a lug assembly to provide changeable anddifferent monitoring and alert functionality.

The printed circuit board can have a circuit with one or more of aninductor, capacitor, resistor, transceiver, digital signal processor, orbattery.

The printed circuit board can have a circuit that couples to the atleast one contact and monitors power usage at the switching device. Thecircuit can include a wireless transceiver that sends power usagemeasurements and/or power outage alarms to remote devices.

The printed circuit board can have a conduction monitoring circuit withat least one light emitting diode (LED) that is visually accessiblethrough the cover. The LED can illuminate when there is conduction tothe switching device.

The printed circuit board can have a perimeter having a width dimensionand a height dimension. The perimeter can have opposing sides across thewidth dimension with one side being shorter and the other side beinglonger than the other in the height dimension. The at least one groundconnector can be or include a curvilinear ground connector that extendslaterally outward from an outer facing end portion of the longer side.The at least one contact connector can include a first contact connectorand a second contact connector that can be curvilinear and are spacedapart from the ground connector. The at least one lug can have first andsecond lugs and the first contact connector can extend outward from aninner facing end portion of the longer side to couple to a terminalcoupled to the first lug. The second contact connector can extend off aninner facing end portion of the shorter side of the printed circuitboard to couple to the second lug.

Yet other embodiments are directed to methods of monitoring current froma power source to an electrical switching device. The methods includemonitoring current from a power source to an electrical switching deviceusing a circuit on a printed circuit board in a housing of a lugassembly that is attached to at least one power cable and that residesadjacent the switching device in an electrical distribution apparatus.

The method can also include obtaining current measurements based on themonitored current and electronically sending the current measurements toa local and/or remote device.

The method can further include illuminating a light coupled to thecircuit on the printed circuit board when there is electrical conductionto the switching device thereby allowing a user to visually identify aconduction status of the switching device

The method can also include electronically transmitting a power outagealert based on the current monitored by the circuit on the printedcircuit board.

The printed circuit board can have a ground connector that engages sheetmetal of the enclosure of the electrical distribution apparatus and thecircuit. The printed circuit board can include at least one electricalcontact that is electrically coupled to a current carrying member of thelug assembly and the circuit for monitoring the current.

The printed circuit board can be held orthogonal to and under a primarybody of a cover attached to the lug assembly housing.

Still other embodiments are directed to methods of servicing anelectrical distribution apparatus comprising an enclosure with at leastone switching device and at least one lug assembly. The methods include:(a) loosening or removing a fastener extending through a cover of a lugassembly from a lug assembly housing holding at least one printedcircuit board as installed in the electrical distribution apparatus,optionally a meter stack or loadcenter; (b) pulling the printed circuitboard out of the lug assembly housing to concurrently disengage contactconnectors and a ground contact connector in response to the pulling;(c) inserting a different printed circuit board into the housing; and(d) tightening the fastener against the cover and housing to causeground and contact connectors of the printed circuit board to couplerespectively to a ground in the enclosure and to current carryingmembers in the lug assembly housing.

The loosening or removing can be carried out to loosen instead ofremoving, and then pivoting the cover to expose the printed circuitboard in the housing.

The method can further comprise providing a light from an electricalcomponent on or in communication with the printed circuit board that isvisually identifiable through or on the cover before loosening orremoving whereby the light, if on, identifies a conduction status of theswitching device in the electrical distribution apparatus, optionally ameter stack or loadcenter.

The different printed circuit board can have the same perimeter shapeand different electronic circuitry than the removed printed circuitboard. The original and the different printed circuit board can be heldorthogonal to and under a primary body of the cover.

Further features, advantages and details of the present invention willbe appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading ofthe figures and the detailed description of the preferred embodimentsthat follow, such description being merely illustrative of the presentinvention.

It is noted that aspects of the invention described with respect to oneembodiment, may be incorporated in a different embodiment although notspecifically described relative thereto. That is, all embodiments and/orfeatures of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/orcombination. Applicant reserves the right to change any originally filedclaim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to be ableto amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporateany feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in thatmanner. These and other objects and/or aspects of the present inventionare explained in detail in the specification set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a lug assembly for an electrical apparatusaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a top, side perspective view of the lug assembly shown inFIG. 1, shown without the cover of the lug assembly housing according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a partial cutaway, side perspective view of a meter stackwith a plurality of the lug assemblies shown in FIG. 2A according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a top view of the lug assembly shown in FIG. 2A, shownwithout the cables attached.

FIG. 3B is a top, side perspective view of the lug assembly shown inFIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged top perspective view of the lug assembly, shownwithout the cover attached to the housing and with terminals from theswitching device(s) coupled to the lug assembly, according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a lug assembly according to embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 6A is an exploded view of another embodiment of a lug assemblyaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is an enlarged side perspective view of components of anotherembodiment of the lug assembly according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a bottom, perspective and partially exploded view of anexemplary lug assembly, shown without a bottom housing, according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, partial assembled view of a lug assembly, shownwithout the bottom housing and cover, according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9A is an enlarged bottom perspective view of a cover for the lugassembly housing according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 9B is an enlarged bottom perspective view of the cover shown inFIG. 9A with an exemplary printed circuit board assembled theretoaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10A is a top, side perspective view of a lug assembly housingaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10B is a top perspective view of the housing shown in FIG. 10A.

FIG. 10C is a side perspective view of the housing shown in FIG. 10Awith a printed circuit board according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10D is a top perspective view of the housing and printed circuitboard shown in FIG. 10A.

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of a control circuit using the lugassembly according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a control circuit using the lugassembly according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart of actions that can be carried out usingelectronics of a lug assembly according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of actions for installing electronic componentsinto an electrical apparatus according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrativeembodiments of the invention are shown. Like numbers refer to likeelements and different embodiments of like elements can be designatedusing a different number of superscript indicator apostrophes (e.g., 10,10′, 10″, 10′″). The terms “Fig.” and “FIG.” may be used interchangeablywith the word “Figure” as abbreviations thereof in the specification anddrawings. In the figures, certain layers, components or features may beexaggerated for clarity, and broken lines illustrate optional featuresor operations unless specified otherwise.

In the drawings, the relative sizes of regions or features may beexaggerated for clarity. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layersand/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/orsections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only usedto distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section fromanother region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component,region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a secondelement, component, region, layer or section without departing from theteachings of the present invention.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”,“upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elementsor features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both anorientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented(rotated 90° or at other orientations) and the spatially relativedescriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The term “about” refers to numbers in a range of +/−20% of the notedvalue.

As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. Itwill be further understood that the terms “includes,” “comprises,”“including” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood thatwhen an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” toanother element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the otherelement or intervening elements may be present. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of this specification andthe relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overlyformal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Embodiments of the invention are particularly suitable for electricaldevices such as, but not limited to, devices with electrical switchingsystems such as residential or commercial meter enclosures (i.e., meterstacks) and load centers. The terms “meter stack” and “load center” andrefer to the collective components of an electrical distribution systemand its respective housing that supplies electrical power to one or moresubsidiary circuits that include switching devices such as one or morecircuit breakers. The terms “bus,” “bus element,” “electricaldistribution bus,” or “bus bar” refers to components in an electricaldistribution system that conducts electricity within the meter stack,load center or other electrical apparatus.

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A, an exemplary electrical apparatus100 with an enclosure 100 h and at least one lug assembly 10 is shown.The lug assembly 10 includes a cover 15 and a housing 10 h. The lugassembly 10 also includes at least one lug 20 that can be coupled to acable 120 that is electrically coupled to a switching device 200 in theenclosure 100 h of the electrical apparatus. The cable 120 can providepower from a utility (power grid) or other power source. The housing 10can have an outer wall 10 w with cable channels 13 that allow the cablesto extend out from the housing 10. The cable channels 13 can have anysuitable shape, shown as rectangular in FIG. 1. As is well known, eachlug 20 can have an open cable channel 21 (FIG. 5) that can cooperatewith a fastener 121 to secure an end of the cable 120 in the lug 20. Theopen cable channel 21 is aligned with the housing channel 13 (FIGS. 3B,4 and 5).

The lug assembly 10 can include at least one ground connector 25 thatelectrically couples to a grounded sheet metal 125 in or on theenclosure 100 h. The ground connector 25 can include a leg 25 l that canflex inwardly toward a side edge of the printed circuit board 30 inresponse to contact with the enclosure 100 h to provide electricalcontact with the enclosure 100 h upon proper installation of the lugassembly 10 in the enclosure 100 h without requiring any soldering ormechanical fastening.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the lug assembly 10 includes first and second lugs20 for first and second cables 120, respectively. The cables 120 can bea phase A cable 120 a and a phase B cable 120 b as electrical inputs tothe switching device 200.

The switching device 200 can, in some embodiments, be a two pole ortandem circuit breaker 200. The lug assembly 10 can be configured tooccupy (e.g., have) a width of a single or a double pole breaker. As iswell known to one of skill in the art, a single-pole breaker takes oneslot in a circuit breaker panel and tandem breaker takes one slot spacebut has two separate single-pole breakers in that one space. A doublepole breaker takes two slots in the circuit breaker panel.

Thus, while the lug assembly 10 is shown for use with a double polebreaker 200 it may be configured for use with a single lug 20 for asingle cable 120. The lug assembly 10 may alternatively be configuredwith more than two lugs 20, such as for a three or four pole circuitbreaker.

In some particular embodiments, the switching device 200 can be a two orthree phase circuit breaker 200 c attached to two or three cables 120.

FIG. 2B illustrates an electrical power distribution apparatus 100comprising a housing enclosing a meter stack 100 m with tenant mainbreakers 200 and respective lug assemblies 10 (i.e., lug kits) that mayor may not comprise electronics held by a printed circuit board 30. Thatis, one or more lug assembly 10 can include the printed circuit board 30and one or more may not have the printed circuit board 30. Different lugassemblies 10 in the meter stack 100 m can have different electronicsprovided by the respective printed circuit board 30. The enclosurehousing 100 h also holds neutral cables 130 to sub-feed panels alongwith the power phase cables 120 to sub-feed panels as is known to thoseof skill in the art.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the switching device 200 can have at least onehandle 200 h that may be used to turn off electrical conduction. Theswitching device 200 can also include lugs 220 that engage switchassembly terminals 22. The switching device 200 can include lugs 220that electrically engage one of the cables 120 held by the lugs 20 ofthe lug assembly 10.

Although shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B as above the switching device 200, thelug assembly 10 may be placed below the switching device 200 and the oneor more cables 120 directed upward instead of downward.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3A, 3B and 4, the lug assembly 10 includes atleast one printed circuit board 30 with circuitry 30 c (with respect tothe printed circuit board 30, the term “circuitry” is usedinterchangeably herein with “circuit”) held in the housing 10 h underthe cover 15 (which is omitted in these views). The housing 10 h andcover 15 can be an injection molded thermoplastic or other polymericmaterial and can be non-conductive (electrically insulating).

The at least one printed circuit board 30 can include at least oneelectrical current contact connection 40, shown as two, one for eachcable 120. The at least one printed circuit board 30 can be orientedperpendicular to the primary body 15 b of the cover 15. The printedcircuit board 30 can extend across the housing 10 h in a width dimensioncloser to the switching device 200 than the cables 120, with onelaterally extending side (width direction) of the printed circuit board30 closer to a lug 20 than the other next to the other lug 20.

The footprint in an electrical enclosure 100 h adjacent the switchingdevice 200 can be relatively compact and positioning projectingelectronics of the circuitry 30 c relatively close to power cables 120and terminals 22, for example, can be challenging. As shown in FIG. 2and FIG. 4, for example, a center of a first lug 20 (aligned with anaxially extending centerline of a fastener 121) can reside a distance d₁from the printed circuit board 30 and a center (also aligned with anaxially extending centerline of a fastener 121) of the second lug 20 canreside a distance d₂ from the printed circuit board 30 and, as shown,d₁>d₂. The actual value of either d₁ and/or d₂ is based on a geometry ofthe apparatus (lug kit) and the available space in which to fit arespective printed circuit board 30 containing various electroniccomponents and electrical connectors. The distances can be whatever ittakes to create an interface between the printed circuit board 30 andthe two (2) phases of the electrical circuit.

As for the distance between the lugs 20 and the fasteners 121 of eachphase, the primary requirement is that the electrical clearance bemaintained between terminals of opposite polarity and between terminalsand any grounded metal per UL 489. Those required, minimum distances arebased on the voltage of the device. In the case of one embodiment of alug kit, this can be 120V per phase or a maximum potential voltage of240V and the below minimum spacing.

Minimum Spacing for the Lugs:

TERMINALS OF TERMINALS AND OPPOSITE POLARITY GROUNDED METAL Thru AirOver Surface Thru Air Over Surface 3/4 inch 1 1/4 inch 1/2 inch 1/2 inch

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, for example, the printed circuit board30 can include opposing planar primary surfaces 30 p ₁, 30 p ₂. Thecircuitry 30 c can include electronic components 31-34 that aresupported by the primary surface 30 p ₂ that faces the switching device200. The other primary surface 30 p ₁ can be devoid of electroniccomponents so that it is flat and resides closer to the lugs 20.However, the printed circuit board 30 may provide electronic componentsonly on the other primary surface 30 p ₁ or on both primary surfaces 30p ₁, 30 p ₂.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the housing 10 h can have an interiorcompartment 10 i with shaped or contoured geometric wall features thataccommodate the electronic components 31-34 and the printed circuitboard 30. One or more of the wall features can include curved or arcuatesegments 14 corresponding to a curvature of the components held thereat,i.e., 32, 33, for example.

The electronic components 31-34 can include, by way of example, one ormore inductors, capacitors, resistors, transceivers, digital signalprocessors, onboard batteries and/or other circuit components thatprovide desired operational function such as metering, alarms,conduction status monitoring with safety light indicators and the like.The circuitry 30 c can wirelessly communicate with remote devices suchas whole house (i.e., residence or commercial spaces) control systems,smartphones, utility company computers, resident management computersand the like. The circuit 30 c can include a “wireless module” such as amicrochip package, that has an onboard wireless transceiver with aprocessor and a plurality of general input and output ports and mayoperate in a WiFi or LTE frequency band, although other frequency bandsmay be used.

For example, for a multi-tenant residence or commercial space, theenclosure can include a different lug assembly 10 for each unit orspecific tenant space providing tenant specific and tenant sideinformation by lug assemblies 10 in the enclosure. This can include, byway of example only, using lug assembly electronics 30 c to identify andprovide information regarding an increase or decrease in powerconsumption, which may be related as a message to owners, renters,lessees, power or resident management services, identifying and sendinga power outage notification or alert to one or more users related toaccounts associated with respective lug assemblies 10 (and/or switchingdevices 200).

The lug assemblies 10 can accommodate different circuit boards 30 withdifferent circuits 30 c and/or electronic components 31-34, for example.The lug assemblies 10 can be configured for retrofit use in existingloadcenters and/or meter stacks or other electrical distributionapparatus, for example. Once installed, different printed circuit boards30 can be interchanged with currently installed printed circuit boards30 to change out functionality or upgrade or repair respective lugassemblies 10. The different circuit boards 30, 30′ (FIGS. 5, 6, forexample) can have the same perimeter shape and the same electrical andground connectors 25, 40.

As also shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, for example, the ground connector 25 canhave a curvilinear shape that provides the leg 25 l and the leg canextend outward a distance from a side 30 s of the printed circuit board30, typically between the primary surface 30 p ₂ and the cover 15. Theleg 25 l can reside outside the housing 10 h. Although shown asextending over an outer surface of the housing 10 h under the cover 15,the ground connector 25 can have other configurations and locations andmay, for example, be configured to extend out an aperture in thesidewall of the housing.

FIG. 5 also illustrates a fastener 150 that extends through an aperture151 toward the housing 10 h into a receiving segment 250 of the housing10 h (FIG. 4) that can be used to tighten the cover 15 against thehousing 10 h and, in turn, apply a force or pressure against a top orouter facing edge 30 e of the printed circuit board 30 to create apositive physical contact between the connectors 40 and electricallycouple with current carrying members of the lug assembly 10.

FIG. 6A illustrates another example of a lug assembly 10, with adifferent printed circuit board 30′. This printed circuit board 30′ canhave the same perimeter (i.e., “footprint”) and can be interchangeablyused instead of the printed circuit board 30 shown in FIG. 5, forexample. The printed circuit board 30′ has different electroniccircuitry 30 c ₂ with different functionality from the circuitry 30 c ofthe first printed circuit board 30. Also, the printed circuit board 30′can include a conduction status monitoring circuit 131 that electricallymonitors for current being conducted to the switching device 200. Asshown, the conduction status circuit 131 can be coupled to one or morelight emitting diodes (LED) 132 that can be illuminated and externallyvisually accessed to indicate conduction status, such as when conductionto the switching device 200 is ON (even if a handle 200 h indicates atripped condition for an additional level of safety).

The cover 15 can have a primary body 15 b that is perpendicular to theprinted circuit board. The cover 15 can include a window 15 w which canbe an open space or a translucent or transparent segment over the LED132 that allows a user to visually assess whether conduction is ON orOFF without removing the cover 15 based on whether light is illuminatedfrom the LED 132. Rather than merely showing illumination (i.e., lighton or off), different color LEDs may be used to provide the visualconduction or non-conduction status of the switching device 200. TheLED(s) 132 can be directly visible through the cover 15 by positioningthe LED in a direct optical path or light guides may be used. The lightsource 132 can also be positioned to extend through the window or resideon an outer surface of the cover.

FIG. 6B illustrates that the cover 15 can hold a visually transmissivelens 115, i.e., a translucent, transparent or clear lens that can beheld by the window 15 w of the cover 15. As shown, the conduction statuscircuit 131 can be coupled to one or more light emitting diodes (LED)132 or other component that can be illuminated and externally visuallyaccessed at the lens 115 to indicate conduction status, such as whenconduction to the switching device 200 is ON (even if a handle 200 hindicates a tripped condition for an additional level of safety) withoutremoving the cover 15 from the lug kit 10.

Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the printed circuit board 30 can have awidth dimension W and a height dimension H and a perimeter with one sidebeing shorter than an opposing side across the width dimension. In someembodiments, the width dimension W can be greater than the heightdimension H. In some particular embodiments, the short side 30 s can be20-40% of the height of the long side 30 l.

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a first electrical contact connector 40 ₁can reside adjacent the short side 30 s with a curvilinear segment 41 ofthe connector 40 ₁ can project outward from the primary surface 30 p ₂of the board at an inner edge of the printed circuit board. Thecurvilinear segment 41 can merge into a planar segment 42 that canelectrically couple and contact a first lug 20 ₁.

As also shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a second electrical contact 40 ₂ canextend down a distance from the long side 30 l of the printed circuitboard 30. The second electrical contact 40 ₂ can have a curvilinearsegment 41 with a free end that extends a distance away (below) the longside of the board 30 l and can include a planar segment 45 thatelectrically couples to the terminal 22 of the second lug 20 ₂. Thefirst and second electrical contact connectors 40 ₁, 40 ₂, can be metal(electrically conductive) flexible contact clips.

FIG. 7 shows that the lug assembly terminals 22 can include apertures 22a and fasteners 22 f and can be directly connected to respective powercables 120 (e.g., phase A power cable and phase B power cable, asshown). The lug assembly terminals 22 can be copper or other suitablyconductive material. The terminals 22 can angle outward from the lugs20, coplanar with an innermost planar surface 20 p of the lugs 20, abovethe fasteners 22 f, but can be held in parallel and linearly straightalignment in a vertical orientation in the enclosure with the lugs 20and cables 120 angled inwardly (FIG. 3A). The orientation of thelugs/cables with respect to the vertical centerline of the enclosure canbe in arrange of 0-90 degrees and any value therebetween, such as 0degrees, about 30 degrees, about 35 degrees, about 45 degrees, about 50degrees, about 60 degrees, about 75 degrees, about 80 degrees, about 85degrees and about 90 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 4, the interior compartment of the housing 10 i caninclude a planar wall segment 11 that can have an end slot 12 that holdsa corner of the printed circuit board 30. The housing 10 h can havelaterally spaced apart internal shaped cavities 10 c that holdrespective electrical components 32, 34, 33.

FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B illustrate the bottom of the cover 15 showing aplurality of adjacent internal cavities 158 that slidably receive thefastener tops 121 t (FIG. 4) and a slot 160, which can be provided by aplurality of cooperating pairs of laterally spaced apart projections161, 162, that holds an upper or top edge 30 t of the printed circuitboard 30, for example. The top edge 30 t can be a longest side of theperimeter 30 p of the printed circuit board 30 and can span 80-95% alateral extent of the cover 15 as shown in FIG. 9B, for example.

The cavities 158 can be cylindrical cavities with walls 158 w havingcircular or semi-circular perimeters when the fastener tops 121 t arecircular. As shown, one cavity 158 has a closed circular perimeter wall158 w while the other one has a semi-circular perimeter wall 158 w witha gap space 158 g between adjacent spaced apart neighboring wallsegments. The slot 160 frictionally engages the printed circuit board 30to hold it orthogonal to the primary body of the cover 15 b as the coverfastener 150 is tightened into operative position. The inner surface ofthe cover 15 i engages the top edge 30 t of the printed circuit board 30which, in turn, applies a sufficient downward force to maintain constantpressure between the connectors 25, 40 (i.e., spring clips) on theprinted circuit board 30 and conductive members (i.e., lugs 20 and/orterminals 22, FIG. 5) of the lug kit 10.

The printed circuit board 30 can be held in the cover 15 to be parallelor angled with respect to the front edge 15 f. The innermost edges(shown as upwardly extending outer edges in the orientation of FIG. 9A)of the projecting members 161, 162 can have lead-in chamfers 161 c, 162c to help guide the cover onto the top edge of the printed circuit boardas the cover 15 and/or fastener 150 (FIG. 5) is rotated into positionand tightened against the bottom housing 10 h.

As shown in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B, the housing 10 h can include an outersidewall 11 with a slot 11 s that slidably receives the ground connector25 (FIG. 10C). This slot 11 s (i.e., planar notch or recess) can extenddown from a top edge of the sidewall 11 a partial length of thesidewall, such as a distance between 0.1-2 inches. In other embodiments,it may extend an entire length extent (not shown). The slot 11 s canhold a segment of the ground connector 25 to inhibit the groundconnector 25 from twisting as it engages the electrically grounded metal125 of the enclosure 100 (FIG. 1).

As also shown in FIG. 10A-10D, the housing 10 h can include a number ofinternal shaped features that can be moldably formed to be integral withthe housing 10 h and/or can help locate and/or support the printedcircuit board 30. Referring to FIG. 10A, an internal laterally extendingslot 12 can reside between a planar internal wall 12 w and a cylindricalchannel 250. This slot 12 can help locate and/or support the printedcircuit board 30 and can be sized to slidably receive a bottom of theprinted circuit board as the cover screw 150 (FIG. 5) is tightened intochannel 250.

The housing 10 h may also include an internal wall 16 w that has a top16 t that is recessed or stepped down a distance relative to the frontwall 10 f to provide clearance for the printed circuit board 30 andcontact connector 40 (FIG. 10C, 10D).

As shown in FIGS. 10C and 10D, the top end 30 t of the printed circuitboard 30 and the upper contact connector 40 can reside above thisclearance wall 16 w. The housing 10 h can also have an internal cornernotch 19 that holds an outer top corner 30 tc of the printed circuitboard 30.

The housing 10 h can include a plurality of inwardly extending andlaterally spaced apart walls, shown as first, second and third walls, 16w, 12 w and 17 w. The first and third walls 16 w, 17 w can angle in alateral direction and reside in front of parallel lug cavities 16 c, 17c. The medial wall 12 w can be between the walls 16 w, 17 w and can beparallel to the front wall 10 f.

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate a control circuit 300 which communicates withthe lug assembly 10 and can be part of a “whole house” control circuit.

FIG. 11 illustrates that the control circuit 300 can have at least oneprimary controller 202 that communicates with or is onboard the circuit30 c of the lug assembly 10. The circuit 30 c can include a transceiver203 and a digital signal processor as some of the electronic componentson the printed circuit board 30. The lug assembly 10 can include acontrol circuit module 10M onboard or in communication with the printedcircuit board 30 that carries out alerts, monitoring and measurements,for example, according to embodiments of the present invention. The term“module” refers to hardware and software components that allow thefunctionality using the electrical circuitry 30 c of the lug assembly10. The controller 202 can be remote or local, such as held in or by theenclosure 100 h as shown. The controller 202 can communicate with allthe lug assemblies 10 in the enclosure.

The module 10M can communicate with the controller 202 of the controlcircuit 300 and to various users, such as tenants or homeowners 225,residence management services 1225 and utility companies and/oraffiliated management services 2225 to send out (tenant or user side)power consumption information such as in a report of unit specific usage305, power outage notices or alerts 302 and the like. The controller 202can send out the communication data and/or alert or the lug assembly 10can directly send out the communication data.

The control circuit 300 and/or the lug assembly module 10M can be awireless circuit and/or may be hard-wired to one or more lug assemblies10 in a respective enclosure 100 h. The wireless connectivity, whereused, can be via WiFI, LTE, BLUETOOTH®, ZIGBEE®, or Z-WAVE and the likeor any wireless protocols in existence now or in the future.

The circuit 300 can also be configured to operate with a user device 225having a User Interface (UI) 226. As shown, the user device 225 canwirelessly communicate with the controller 202 and/or with specificmodules. The UI 226 can be a Graphic User Interface (GUI) or keypad UIor other UI that allows a user to adjust, access or select variousoperational features of the module 10. The user device 225 can be acomputer, smartphone, electronic notebook, and the like. The UI 226 canbe provided via an APP 225A. The term “APP” refers to a program or pieceof software designed to fulfill a particular purpose; an application,especially as downloaded by a user to a mobile device.

As shown in FIG. 12, the lug assembly module 10 can be associated with apower usage control setting and/or power outage alert icon such as alighting strike graphic shown at the top of the circle of differentcontrol inputs. A similar icon/graphic can be provided as an APP 225Afor controlling or accessing the module 10. A user can choose to limitpower usage at the lug assembly 10 by selecting a desired power usagerange using the icon 226 and/or review power consumption or power outagealerts, for example.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart of actions that can be carried out using a lugassembly according to embodiments of the present invention. Current froma power source to an electrical switching device can be monitored usinga circuit on at least one printed circuit board in a housing of at leastone lug assembly that is attached to at least one power cable andresides adjacent the switching device in an electrical distributionapparatus (block 400). Current measurements based on the monitoredcurrent can be sent to a local and/or remote device (block 420).

Electrical conduction status of the switching device can be monitoredusing the circuit on the at least one printed circuit board andilluminating a light when conduction is on (block 402).

The light can be from at least one LED held on the at least one printedcircuit board (block 404).

A power outage alert can be electronically sent to one or more remotelocations based on the monitored current (block 406).

The printed circuit board can have a ground connector that engages sheetmetal of the enclosure of the electrical distribution apparatus (block410).

The printed circuit board can include at least one electrical contactthat is electrically coupled to a current carrying member of the lugassembly (block 412).

The printed circuit board can be held orthogonal to a primary body of acover over the housing of the lug assembly in front of the at least onepower cable (block 414).

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of actions that can be used to replace, repairor upgrade a lug assembly according to embodiments of the presentinvention. A fastener inserted through a cover of a lug assembly isloosened or removed from a lug assembly housing holding at least oneprinted circuit board as installed in an electrical distributionapparatus, optionally a meter stack or loadcenter (block 500). Theprinted circuit board is pulled out of the housing to concurrentlydisengage electrical current and ground contacts in response to thepulling (block 510). A different printed circuit board is inserted intothe housing (block 520). The fastener is tightened to cause ground andelectrical contact connectors to electrically engage ground and currentcarrying members (block 530).

Instead of totally removing, the fastener can be loosened and the covercan be pivoted to expose the printed circuit board in the housing (block502).

A user can visually identify whether a light from the printed circuitboard is illuminated through the cover before loosening or removingwhereby the light if on identifies a conduction status of the switchingdevice in the electrical distribution apparatus, optionally a meterstack or loadcenter (block 504).

The different printed circuit board can have the same perimeter shapeand different electronic circuitry than the removed printed circuitboard (block 522).

The printed circuit board can be inserted to be held orthogonal to aprimary body of a cover over the housing of the lug assembly in front ofat least one power cable (below in the orientation shown in FIG. 3A)attached to the lug assembly (block 524).

Where the switching device 200 is or comprises a circuit breaker 200 c,the circuit breaker 200 c can be a main circuit breaker. The circuitbreaker 200 c can optionally be an Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI)and/or Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) which are among a varietyof overcurrent protection devices used for circuit protection andisolation. AFCIs reduce fire hazards in electrical circuits by reducingthe effects of high current arcing faults as well as detectingpersistent low-current arcing faults. GFCIs reduce the potential ofelectrical shock. Both branch feeder and combination AFCIs provideconventional thermal and magnetic overcurrent protection. Both can alsoprovide high current or “parallel” arcing fault detection and firemitigation for installed wiring and connected cords. National ElectricalCode (NEC) revisions have increased the requirement for sections of thehome that require Arc Fault or Ground Fault protection. Optionally, thecircuit breaker can be a Type BR or CH AFCI or GFCI breaker.

It is also noted that the lug assemblies may be useful for otherelectrical apparatus or devices, including, by way of example, forconnecting conductors in Motor Control Centers or buckets thereof, motorstarters or feeders, switchgears and the like. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No.4,024,441, U.S. Patent Application Publication Serial Number US2013/0077210, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,194,983 and 7,186,933, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein.

The term “circuit” refers to software embodiments or embodimentscombining software and hardware aspects, features and/or components,including, for example, at least one processor and software associatedtherewith embedded therein and/or executable by and/or one or moreApplication Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), for programmaticallydirecting and/or performing certain described actions, operations ormethod steps.

A circuit can reside in one location or multiple locations, it may beintegrated into one component or may be distributed, e.g., it may resideentirely in a workstation or single computer, partially in one station,cabinet, or computer, or totally in a remote location. If the latter, alocal computer and/or processor can communicate over a LAN, WAN and/orinternet. The circuit and/or a server associated with the circuit can beprovided using cloud computing which includes the provision ofcomputational resources on demand via a computer network. The resourcescan be embodied as various infrastructure services (e.g., compute,storage, etc.) as well as applications, databases, file services, email,etc. In the traditional model of computing, both data and software aretypically fully contained on the user's computer; in cloud computing,the user's computer may contain little software or data (perhaps anoperating system and/or web browser), and may serve as little more thana display terminal for processes occurring on a network of externalcomputers. A cloud computing service (or an aggregation of multiplecloud resources) may be generally referred to as the “Cloud”. Cloudstorage may include a model of networked computer data storage wheredata is stored on multiple virtual servers, rather than being hosted onone or more dedicated servers

Computer program code for carrying out operations of data processingsystems, method steps or actions, modules or circuits (or portionsthereof) discussed herein may be written in a high-level programminglanguage, such as Python, Java, AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript), C,and/or C++, for development convenience. In addition, computer programcode for carrying out operations of exemplary embodiments may also bewritten in other programming languages, such as, but not limited to,interpreted languages. Some modules or routines may be written inassembly language or even micro-code to enhance performance and/ormemory usage. However, embodiments are not limited to a particularprogramming language.

The term “electronically” includes both wireless and wired connectionsbetween components.

The present invention is described in part with reference to flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) andcomputer program products according to embodiments of the invention. Itwill be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/orblock diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computerprogram instructions. These computer program instructions may beprovided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purposecomputer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce amachine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor ofthe computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, createmeans for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchartand/or block diagram block or blocks.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to beconstrued as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments ofthis invention have been described, those skilled in the art willreadily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this invention. Therefore,it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the presentinvention and is not to be construed as limited to the specificembodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosedembodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the invention.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A lug assembly for a switching device of anelectrical distribution apparatus, comprising: a housing having aninterior compartment and an outer wall, the outer wall comprising atleast one cable channel; at least one lug held in the interiorcompartment of the housing adapted to attach to a power cable, the lughaving an open channel aligned with the cable channel in the outer wallof the housing; a printed circuit board held in the housing; at leastone ground connector coupled to the printed circuit board and having afree end that extends off the printed circuit board; and at least onecontact connector coupled to the printed circuit board, spaced apartfrom the at least one ground connector and having a free end thatextends off the printed circuit board, wherein the at least one lugcomprises first and second lugs, wherein the printed circuit board has aperimeter having a width dimension and a height dimension, wherein theperimeter comprises opposing first and second sides across the widthdimension with the first side being shorter and the second side beinglonger in the height dimension, wherein the at least one groundconnector comprises a curvilinear ground connector that extendslaterally outward from an outer facing end portion of the second side,wherein the at least one contact connector comprises a first contactconnector and a second contact connector that are curvilinear and havethe free end, wherein the first and second contact connectors are spacedapart from the at least one ground connector, wherein the free end ofthe first contact connector extends outward from the printed circuitboard to couple to a terminal of the first lug, and wherein the free endof the second contact connector extends off the printed circuit board tocouple to the second lug.
 2. The lug assembly of claim 1, wherein thefirst and second lugs comprise axially extending centerlines alignedwith a fastener that extends therein that reside a distance between 1-2inches from a primary surface of the printed circuit board.
 3. The lugassembly of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board comprises acircuit with one or more inductor, capacitor, resistor, transceiver,digital signal processor, or onboard battery.
 4. The lug assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the printed circuit board comprises a circuit with atransceiver that wirelessly communicates with one or more local orremote devices.
 5. A lug assembly for a switching device of anelectrical distribution apparatus, comprising: a housing having aninterior compartment and an outer wall, the outer wall comprising atleast one cable channel; at least one lug held in the interiorcompartment of the housing adapted to attach to a power cable, the lughaving an open channel aligned with the cable channel in the outer wallof the housing; a printed circuit board held in the housing; at leastone ground connector coupled to the printed circuit board; at least onecontact connector coupled to the printed circuit board, spaced apartfrom the at least one ground connector; and a cover attached to thehousing, wherein a top edge of the printed circuit board is coupled toan inner surface of the cover, and wherein the printed circuit board isorthogonal to a primary body of the cover.
 6. A lug assembly for aswitching device of an electrical distribution apparatus, comprising: ahousing having an interior compartment and an outer wall, the outer wallcomprising at least one cable channel; at least one lug held in theinterior compartment of the housing adapted to attach to a power cable,the lug having an open channel aligned with the cable channel in theouter wall of the housing; a printed circuit board held in the housing;at least one ground connector coupled to the printed circuit board; andat least one contact connector coupled to the printed circuit board,spaced apart from the at least one ground connector, wherein the lugassembly comprises at least one terminal that extends out of the housingin an outer wall of the housing spaced apart from the outer wallcomprising the at least one cable channel, wherein the at least oneground connector comprises a ground connector that extends a distancelaterally outside a perimeter of the printed circuit board, and whereinthe at least one contact connector extends a distance outside theperimeter of the printed circuit board.
 7. A lug assembly for aswitching device of an electrical distribution apparatus, comprising: ahousing having an interior compartment and an outer wall, the outer wallcomprising at least one cable channel; at least one lug held in theinterior compartment of the housing adapted to attach to a power cable,the lug having an open channel aligned with the cable channel in theouter wall of the housing; a printed circuit board held in the housing;at least one ground connector coupled to the printed circuit board; andat least one contact connector coupled to the printed circuit board,spaced apart from the at least one ground connector, wherein the atleast one ground connector is curvilinear and has a free end that canflex inwardly, and wherein the at least one ground connector extends adistance outside the housing.
 8. A lug assembly for a switching deviceof an electrical distribution apparatus, comprising: a housing having aninterior compartment and an outer wall, the outer wall comprising atleast one cable channel; at least one lug held in the interiorcompartment of the housing adapted to attach to a power cable, the lughaving an open channel aligned with the cable channel in the outer wallof the housing; a printed circuit board held in the housing; at leastone ground connector coupled to the printed circuit board; at least onecontact connector coupled to the printed circuit board, spaced apartfrom the at least one ground connector; a cover attached to the housing;and at least one fastener that is orthogonal to a primary body of thecover that extends into a receiving member in the housing, wherein theat least one lug comprises first and second lugs, wherein the printedcircuit board comprises electrical components that reside off a firstprimary surface of the printed circuit board and that reside incontoured cavities of the housing, wherein the cover comprisescylindrical cavities that receive first and second circular fastenersattached to a top of the first and second lugs, and wherein the cover,when assembled, applies an inwardly extending force against the printedcircuit board to thereby provide positive engagement contacts withground and current carrying members at installation.
 9. A lug assemblyfor a switching device of an electrical distribution apparatus,comprising: a housing having an interior compartment and an outer wall,the outer wall comprising at least one cable channel; at least one lugheld in the interior compartment of the housing adapted to attach to apower cable, the lug having an open channel aligned with the cablechannel in the outer wall of the housing; a printed circuit board heldin the housing; at least one ground connector coupled to the printedcircuit board; at least one contact connector coupled to the printedcircuit board, spaced apart from the at least one ground connector; anda cover attached to the housing, wherein the cover comprises a primarybody with an inner surface that secures a top edge of the printedcircuit board, wherein the printed circuit board is a first printedcircuit board with a perimeter shape and comprising a circuit withelectronic components, wherein the circuit is adapted to monitor currentfrom a power source delivered from at least one power cable to theswitching device, and wherein the lug assembly is configured to seriallyand interchangeably accept a second printed circuit board with adifferent circuit and the same perimeter shape to thereby allow the lugassembly to provide changeable and different monitoring and alertfunctionality.
 10. A lug assembly for a switching device of anelectrical distribution apparatus, comprising: a housing having aninterior compartment and an outer wall, the outer wall comprising atleast one cable channel; at least one lug held in the interiorcompartment of the housing adapted to attach to a power cable, the lughaving an open channel aligned with the cable channel in the outer wallof the housing; a printed circuit board held in the housing; at leastone ground connector coupled to the printed circuit board; and at leastone contact connector coupled to the printed circuit board, spaced apartfrom the at least one ground connector, wherein the printed circuitboard comprises a circuit that couples to the at least one contactconnector and monitors power usage at the switching device, andtransmits signals associated with power usage measurements and/or poweroutage alarms to remote devices.
 11. A lug assembly for a switchingdevice of an electrical distribution apparatus, comprising: a housinghaving an interior compartment and an outer wall, the outer wallcomprising at least one cable channel; at least one lug held in theinterior compartment of the housing adapted to attach to a power cable,the lug having an open channel aligned with the cable channel in theouter wall of the housing; a printed circuit board held in the housing;at least one ground connector coupled to the printed circuit board; atleast one contact connector coupled to the printed circuit board, spacedapart from the at least one ground connector; and a cover attached tothe housing, wherein the printed circuit board comprises a conductionmonitoring circuit with at least one light emitting diode (LED) that isvisually accessible through the cover, and wherein the LED illuminateswhen there is conduction to the switching device.
 12. A lug assembly fora switching device of an electrical distribution apparatus, comprising:a housing having an interior compartment and an outer wall, the outerwall comprising at least one cable channel; at least one lug held in theinterior compartment of the housing adapted to attach to a power cable,the lug having an open channel aligned with the cable channel in theouter wall of the housing; a printed circuit board held in the housing;at least one ground connector coupled to the printed circuit board; andat least one contact connector coupled to the printed circuit board,spaced apart from the at least one ground connector, wherein the printedcircuit board comprises a circuit that is coupled to the at least onelug through the at least one contact connector to monitor tenant sidepower usage in a meter stack.
 13. An electrical distribution apparatuscomprising: an enclosure; a lug assembly in the enclosure, the lugassembly comprising: a housing having an interior compartment and anouter wall, the outer wall comprising at least one cable channel; atleast one lug held in the interior compartment of the housing; a printedcircuit board held in the housing; at least one ground connectorattached to the printed circuit board and electrically coupled to theenclosure; at least one contact connector attached to the printedcircuit board and coupled to the at least one lug; and at least oneterminal coupled to the at least one lug and extending out of thehousing; at least one power cable attached to a corresponding one lug ofthe at least one lug in the housing of the lug assembly; and a switchingdevice coupled to the at least one terminal, wherein the at least oneterminal of the lug assembly provides an electrical path for currentfrom the power cable to the switching device.
 14. The apparatus of claim13, further comprising first and second lugs as the at least one lug,first and second contact connectors as the at least one contactconnector, and first and second power cables as the at least one powercable, wherein the first power cable couples to the first lug and thesecond power cable couples to the second lug, and wherein the firstcontact connector couples to the first lug and the second contactconnector couples to the second lug.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14,wherein the at least one terminal of the lug assembly comprises firstand second terminals, wherein the switching device comprises a circuitbreaker and first and second circuit breaker lugs each having an openthrough channel that couple to the first and second lugs of the lugassembly to provide electrical current pathways, and wherein the firstand second lugs of the lug assembly are spaced apart with axiallyextending centerlines aligned with a respective fastener that extendstherein, and wherein the axially extending centerlines of the first andsecond lugs reside a distance in a range of 1-2 inches from a primarysurface of the printed circuit board.
 16. The apparatus of claim 13,further comprising a cover attached to the housing, wherein the printedcircuit board is orthogonal to a primary body of the cover.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one ground connectorcomprises a ground connector that is curvilinear and extends a distancelaterally outside a perimeter of the printed circuit board and outsidethe housing, and wherein the at least one contact connector iscurvilinear and extends a distance outside the perimeter of the printedcircuit board.
 18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the printedcircuit board is a first printed circuit board with a perimeter shapeand comprising a circuit with electronic components, wherein the circuitis adapted to monitor current from a power source delivered from atleast one power cable to the switching device, and wherein the lugassembly is configured to serially and interchangeably accept a secondprinted circuit board with a different circuit and the same perimetershape to thereby allow the lug assembly to provide changeable anddifferent monitoring and alert functionality.
 19. The apparatus of claim13, wherein the printed circuit board comprises a circuit with one ormore of an inductor, capacitor, resistor, transceiver, digital signalprocessor, or battery.
 20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein theprinted circuit board comprises a circuit that couples to the at leastone contact connector and monitors power usage at the switching device,and wherein the circuit comprises a wireless transceiver that sendspower usage measurements and/or power outage alarms to remote devices.21. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a cover attached tothe housing, wherein the printed circuit board comprises a conductionmonitoring circuit with at least one light emitting diode (LED) that isvisually accessible through the cover, and wherein the LED illuminateswhen there is conduction to the switching device.
 22. The apparatus ofclaim 13, wherein the printed circuit board has a perimeter having awidth dimension and a height dimension, wherein the perimeter comprisesopposing sides across the width dimension with one side being shorterand the other side being longer than the other in the height dimension,wherein the at least one ground connector comprises a curvilinear groundconnector that extends laterally outward from the printed circuit board,wherein the at least one contact connector comprises a first contactconnector and a second contact connector that are curvilinear and arespaced apart from the at least one ground connector, wherein the atleast one lug comprises first and second lugs, and wherein the firstcontact connector extends outward from the printed circuit board tocouple to a first terminal of the at least one terminal that is coupledto the first lug, and wherein the second contact connector extends outfrom the printed circuit board to couple to the second lug.